Amulet
An amulet is an item that a character can put on around his or her neck. It usually confers magical powers on the wearer, but amulets such as the amulet of strangulation can also be hazardous. Amulets are represented by a double quotation mark: . This is also the command to display which amulet you are currently wearing. Wearing any amulet will increase the rate at which you get hungry, by an extra 1 nutrition per 20 turns. Carrying the Amulet of Yendor consumes an additional 1 nutrition per 20 turns, regardless of whether or not you are wearing it. All amulets have a weight of 20 and a base price of 150 zorkmids. Table of amulets Amulets marked EAT can be eaten for a 1/5 chance of obtaining their effect permanently (providing you are polymorphed into a metallivore). Eating an amulet of unchanging will return you to your normal form. Other amulets can be eaten (except the fake Amulet which is made of plastic, and the real Amulet which is indestructible), but do not confer their effect. All amulets have a base cost of 150 zorkmids and have a weight of 20. Generation Amulets comprise 1% of all randomly-generated items in the main dungeon, 1% in containers, and 4% in Gehennom. The second column above is the relative probability of each subtype. The ones generated 90.5% cursed are 9% uncursed and 0.5% blessed. All others are generated 5% cursed, 90% uncursed, 5% blessed. The Amulet of Yendor is a unique item found only in Gehennom. Its fake counterpart is found only on the Rogue level, in the inventories of certain high-level monsters, and in the bones files of people who had a real or fake amulet themselves; the real amulet will be replaced with a fake one. Identification All amulets cost 150zm and weigh 20, so they cannot be distinguished using price identification. The appearance of the first 9 types of amulet in the table are randomized from the following descriptions: circular spherical oval triangular pyramidal square concave hexagonal octagonal Non-cursed amulets are safe to try on; the effect may become obvious after a while, such as for the amulet of ESP, and you can always remove it if it is strangulation or restful sleep. The only risk is a small chance at changing genders, which is not a debilitating issue for the most part. Amulets of change and strangulation always formally identify themselves when worn. Every other amulet (other than the real and fake Amulets of Yendor) adds a line to the enlightenment screen, although some lines can have other sources: In addition, intelligent monsters will only pick up and put on life saving (if living) and reflection. Amulets of ESP can be identified using the artifact naming trick, because they cannot be named “The Eye of the Aethiopica”. The real Amulet of Yendor, unlike the fakes, cannot be placed in a container ("The Amulet of Yendor cannot be confined in such trappings.") Probabilities and use-testing Usually, formal identification or enlightenment are better techniques to identify an amulet, but sometimes conducts or scarce resources make you rely on relative probabilites, pet testing, and indirect clues. Above are the probabilities for the various types of amulet, on condition its cursedness is known and it is not ESP. The latter is excluded because ESP can always be tested for, instantly, even before curse-testing. Some players are opposed to the artifact naming trick. They can wear-test for ESP by far-looking at a nearby brainy monster. 27.3% of all non-cursed and 2.2% of all cursed amulets are ESP. Strategy Amulets cannot be destroyed by electric shocks, so unless stolen by a nymph they are reliable at conferring their effect. Encyclopaedia entry References Category:Amulets Category:Electromagnetism Category:Special relativity